Deputy Regional Director – Program Quality, East Africa Regional Office (EARO) at Catholic Relief

Job Description

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is an international non-governmental organization supporting relief and development work in over 99 countries around the world. CRS programs assist persons on the basis of need, regardless of creed, ethnicity or nationality and works through local church and non-church partners to implement its programs. CRS has been helping poor, vulnerable families improve their lives through orphans and vulnerable children, agriculture, health, microfinance, and WASH programming in Kenya since .

Background

The EARO region consists of the following country programs: Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda and has program offices in Tanzania and Somalia. Support is also provided to the Church in Djibouti and Eritrea. The DRD/PQ is expected to spend on average 25% of her/his time travelling and providing direct support to country programs. EARO’s main programming areas are: Humanitarian Response, Resiliency, Health, Agriculture/Livelihoods, and Youth.

 Job Summary 

As a member of the Regional Office Senior Management Team, the Deputy Regional Director for Program Quality (DRD/PQ) is responsible for technical and program quality, business development, and staff development in these areas, in accordance with the Agency Mission. The DRD/PQ is responsible for ensuring that the Agency’s overall vision and strategy is understood and incorporated into strategic planning and program management in all country programs and at the regional level; providing technical and programmatic support to country program staff; ensuring close and efficient coordination with PIQA, IDEA, and HRD on common programming initiatives and departmental mandates; ensuring that all appropriate opportunities for growth throughout the region are pursued.

Roles and Key Responsibilities 

Contribute and/or lead the development and implementation of regional and country program (CP) strategies, ensuring synchrony with Agency priorities. Lead coordination and planning for Regional Office strategic priorities and project implementation. Support project implementation across the region to increase quality. Play a leadership role in project Start up, management, close-out, ensuring CRS tools ProPack, Compass, and Program Quality Standards are utilized. Represent CRS to donors and institutional partners active in East Africa by sharing Regional Office priorities and strategies in order to explore collaboration. Mentor and manage regional PQ personnel (regional technical advisors, PMs) including performance and development plans and appraisals. Support onboarding and development of Heads of Program (HoP)and Chiefs of Party through regular mentoring, training opportunities. In coordination with CRS technical staff in HQ and throughout the region, maintain awareness of relevant best practices; ensure dissemination throughout the region and application of best practices in program and project planning/design. Liaise with other regions, Headquarters departments (PQSD, IDEA, M&M) and external partners in sharing information, facilitating discussion on program quality standards and implementing program quality initiatives. Ensure HOPs design high-quality projects with innovative approaches that incorporate project management standards and MEAL methods, appropriate to scope, context, and technical requirements of large and complex projects. Oversee the regional reviews of all proposals, concept notes and Country Programs’ strategies, as well as other strategic reports and documents. Incorporate lessons learned from CPs/regions/HQ into regional and country level resource mobilization and program development/execution, as appropriate. Develop EARO’s Heads of Program through regular communication and coaching; assist HoPs with structure and staffing, PQ challenges, reporting, MEAL. Ensure that Country Program technical assistance needs for PQ/BQ are met through Technical Advisors (Tas) and prioritization is explained to the CP’s, other TDYs; Support the development of staff and consultant rosters. Works closely to ensure Humanitarian Responses in region; support needs assessments, sitreps, resource mobilizations, staffing/TDYs, implementation bottlenecks and reporting. Help ensure work environment, culture and staff actions reflect CRS guiding principles, where dignity, diversity, community, and rights and responsibilities of all are understood, promoted, valued and upheld. Work closely with DRD-Ops, RFO and HOPs in addressing ongoing programmatic-management issues such as operational delays which affect programmatic and spending performance. Promote safeguarding at the country program level. Ensure quality implementation of CRS safeguarding policy and principles across both operations and programs. With support from technical advisors, ensure capacity building efforts and technical guidance to CRS staff and partners, in line with CRS principles and standards, donor guidelines, and industry best practices.

QUALIFICATIONS

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Excellent strategic, analytical, systems thinking, and problem-solving skills, with capacity to see the big picture and ability to make sound judgment and decisions. Excellent relation management abilities. Ability to work collaboratively Demonstrated leadership, management and supervisory skills Strong facilitation and training skills Team leadership abilities with diverse/multi-disciplinary teams. Coaching/mentoring skills Ethical conduct in accordance with recognized professional and organizational codes of ethics Proactive, resourceful, solutions-oriented and results-oriented

Preferred Qualifications:

Required/Desired Foreign Language: Fluency in English Travel Required: 25%

Supervisory Responsibilities:

TAs for Health, Nutrition, Agriculture/Livelihoods, Microfinance/Youth, Gender, Social Cohesion, and MEAL; Business Development Manager

Key Working Relationships:

Internal: Deputy Regional Director-Ops; Regional Finance Officer, Country Representatives; Heads Of Programming; Chiefs of Party, PIQA & IDEA team members, other DRD/PQs, HRD staff External: USG, including USAID (Washington, local Missions) and other relevant agencies; other bilateral/multilateral; Donor Agencies; local and international PVOs; local partners; other Catholic development agencies; technical support networks; US and local universities, private sector corporations and investment companies.

Basic Qualifications

Master’s Degree in development or related sector. Minimum of 7 years required; 10 or more years preferred in a management position with progressive responsibilities. Experience with an international NGO and experience outside country of origin preferred. Past experience serving as a CRS Head of Programming, desirable. Familiarity with technical standards in project management and program design for CRS core competencies and programmatic themes. Demonstrated ability to transfer knowledge and skills formally and informally to diverse audiences; desire and ability to mentor staff. Demonstrated understanding of industry program quality standards and management best practices in relief and development. Knowledge of multiple public donors’ regulations, including USAID, highly preferred. Ability to represent the agency at high levels